1.

Addresses at the Parliament of the World’s Religions – Swami Vivekananda

Introduction

The Chicago speech was delivered by Swami Vivekananda, who represented India as a Hindu
Monk, at The World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in the year 1893. Many people
all over the world were invited to participate in that conference. Swamiji was selected by all
Indian kings to deliver the Chicago speech. There were seven thousand people gathered in
the conference hall. Through this speech, he explained the Indian religious sprit to the
world.

Summary

The World Parliament of Religions was the first formal assembly of representatives from
eastern and western spiritual traditions. The first session of the Parliament was held on
Monday the 11th of September 1893 in the spacious Hall of The Art Institute. Many people,
who arrived representing different religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and
many more, were busy reading their own prepared speeches. On the other hand, there was
Swami Vivekananda, who did not prepare any speech and decided to speak whatever he
knew about Hinduism. His speech was in the afternoon, which he began by addressing the
audience as “Sisters and Brothers of America” which won wide accolades by the audience.
He then thanked in the “name of ancient monks in the world, mother of all religions and
millions of Hindus of all classes and sects.”

He further stated that he was proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both
tolerance and universal acceptance. He also mentioned to be proud of being of a religion
which has sheltered refugees of all religion and all nation of the earth. He also went on to
mention that all religion is like the “droplets of water” having different sources and finally
mingles with the sea. He mentioned that we should stop extreme beliefs that may lead to
unreasonable behaviour.

“Why We Disagree, 15 September 1893”: Swami Vivekananda then tells a little story about a
frog who lived in a well. The Frog everyday cleaned the water and survived with energy
unknown of the outer world. One day another frog that lived in the sea somehow fell into
the well. Until and unless the frog from the sea made him understand about the vast sea,
the frog from the well did not know of the possibilities of a bigger world. The same is the
thought of each religious person, may it be Hindus, Christians or follower of any other
religion. Vivekananda, with this story expresses gratitude towards America for initiating
such an event that enabled to break the barriers of several worlds around ours. Religion
binds human with similar affinities, this never implies to disrespect dissimilarities. The
notion which prevails around the world, in the name of religion has to be cleared and such
events mark a milestone to uncover similarities amongst differences.

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“Addressing the Final Session, 27 September 1893”: Swami Vivekananda thanks the entire
noble source with large heart who dreamt of such event. He also said of the common
grounds of religious unity and said one should not win by destroying other in the name of
religion. Every religion has its own law for growth and we should not try to convert any
person into other religion but should preserve his individuality. He concludes by saying “help
and not fight”, live in “harmony and peace” and not with conflicts or problems.

Analysis

In the history of mankind, there have been rare instances where the introductory words
spoken by a person have electrified the whole audience as much as Swami Vivekananda’s
groundbreaking speech to the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions. Beginning with the
words “Sisters and Brothers of America”, the speech managed to not only eliminate the
difference between Swamiji’s status as a person belonging to a different nation and religion
but also made the audience realise that they were in the audience of someone who could
really show them the path of universal brotherhood. The speech by Swamiji has been often
referred by leaders from across the globe in present times to remind the audience of the
values which Swamiji’s speech stood for and are the most critical in today’s times –
compassion, brotherhood, tolerance, acceptance. While we see the globe being in the
throes of sectarianism, fanaticism and persecution; never has been a better time to turn
towards Swamiji’s speech and really focus on the key values highlighted therein to make this
world a better place.

Swamiji’s speech serves as a beacon light in the modern times and can be a ‘source of truth’
for entire nations and their leadership to help them implement strategies, formulate
policies and take corrective steps to bring their citizenry together and help build bridges
with other nations. Across the continents, we have nations fighting each other (externally)
and their people divided over the notion of caste, colour, and creed. Swamiji, in his speech,
emphasised on two vital requirements for world peace - brotherhood and universal
acceptance; and it would not be an exaggeration to state that these are what the world
needs the most. If only people start imbibing the values which Swamiji stood for, if only
nations start focusing on compassion and tolerance can this world become a better place for
everyone.

It would also be fair to say that Swamiji’s whole life and teachings have been a call to the
people to rise and become better humans. The speech in 1893 was a small summary of the
core values which Swamiji sought to impart. The Chicago speech is a glimpse of what
Swamiji truly stood for and the onus is on all of us to ensure we benefit from the teachings
of one of the most revered sons of India. It is India which has always believed in ‘Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) and can lead the world towards universal
brotherhood and truly become a ‘Vishwa Guru,’ in its true sense.

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2. Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born on August 27, 1910. She entered an Abbey at age 12. She became a
member of the Loreto Order of nuns in Ireland when she was 18, taking the name Sister
Teresa. Six months later, she was sent to Calcutta's Loreto Convent. It was there that she
taught school and finally became principal. As her bond with Jesus grew deeper, she felt his
sorrow for the very poor. She experienced the call of Jesus to go and offer the love of God
and to be of service to Calcutta's most desperately poor. This led her to leave the school
compound's comparative security, sheltered from the most abject poverty of the city, to live
with the poorest of the poor on the streets. She believed that “Not all of us can do great
things. But we can do small things with great love.”

She experienced two particularly traumatic periods in Calcutta. The first was the Bengal
famine of 1943 and the second was the Hindu/Muslim violence in 1946, before the partition
of India. In 1948, she left the convent to live full-time among the poorest of Calcutta. She
chose to wear a white Indian sari, with a blue border, out of respect for the traditional
Indian dress. For many years, Mother Teresa and a small band of fellow nuns survived on
minimal income and food, often having to beg for funds. But, slowly her efforts with the
poorest were noted and appreciated by the local community and Indian politicians.

On her arrival in India, she began by working as a teacher; however, the widespread poverty
of Calcutta made a deep impression on her, and this led to her starting a new order called
“The Missionaries of Charity”. The primary objective of this mission was to look after
people, who nobody else was prepared to look after. Mother Teresa felt that serving others
was a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus Christ. As Mother Teresa said herself,
“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that
action is service.”

Teresa sought and obtained Vatican permission to start the Missionaries of Charity. In
Calcutta, it started as a small order of 12 members. More than 4,000 nuns ran orphanages,
AIDS hospices, and charity centres on all six continents by 2006, caring for refugees, the
blind, disabled, elderly, alcoholics, the sick, homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and
famine. In 1952, she opened her first home for the dying, which allowed people to die with
dignity. Mother Teresa often spent time with those who were dying. Some have criticised
the lack of proper medical attention, and their refusal to give painkillers. Others say that it
afforded many neglected people the opportunity to die knowing that someone cared.

Mother Teresa converted an abandoned Hindu temple into the Kalighat Home for the Dying,
a free hospice for the sick, with the aid of Indian officials. She opened another hospice,
Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart), as well as a home for lepers named Shanti Nagar (City of Peace)
and an orphanage shortly after. Recruits and voluntary donations began to flood in for the
order. The order had opened hospices, orphanages, and leper houses all over India by the
1960s.

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Mother Teresa was one of the first people to build AIDS homes. Teresa's order quickly grew.
Around the world, new facilities are being built. Venezuela was the order's first outpost
outside of India. Others followed in Rome, Tanzania, and later in several Asian, African, and
European countries, including Albania. Mother Teresa was well-known around the world by
the early 1970s. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for work undertaken in
the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.”
She asked that the $192,000 prize fund be given to the poor. When the Eastern European
walls came down, she widened her efforts to include communist countries that had
previously rejected her, launching hundreds of initiatives.

Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity expanded from 12 nuns to thousands helping the
"poorest of the poor" in 450 locations around the world over the years. In the United States,
the first Missionaries of Charity home was founded in the South Bronx, New York.
Recognition and Acceptance Mother Teresa India Teresa was awarded the Padma Shri in
1962 and the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1969 by the Indian
government, more than a third of a century ago. Other Indian awards followed, including
the Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honour) in 1980. When she was asked how to
promote world peace, she replied, “Go home and love your family”.

On August 28, 2010, the Indian government released a special 5 coin (the sum of money
Teresa had when she arrived in India) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth. Teresa
was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in
1962 for her contributions to South and East Asia. She had become an international star by
the early 1970s. In 1982, she was made an honorary Companion of the Order of Australia
"for service to the nation of Australia and humanity at large" by governments and civilian
organisations. Several decorations were bestowed by the United Kingdom and the United
States, culminating in the Order of Merit in 1983 and honorary citizenship in the United
States on November 16, 1996.

In her old age, she had faced many health issues. She was also taking treatment from the
doctors of Eastern Country. Still, after some years, her organs had stopped working,
including lungs and kidneys. And on 5 September 1997, at the age of 87, Mother Teresa had
died in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had over 4,000
sisters, a 300-member related brotherhood, and over 100,000 lay volunteers running 610
missions in 123 countries at the time of her death. Hospices and homes for HIV/AIDS,
leprosy, and tuberculosis patients, soup kitchens, children's and family therapy services,
orphanages, and schools were among them. The Government of India honoured Mother
Teresa with a full state funeral, an honour usually reserved for presidents and prime
ministers, in appreciation of her service to India's poor of all faiths. Within both secular and
religious cultures, her death was widely viewed as a great tragedy. Mother Teresa was a
living saint who offered a great example and inspiration to the world.